I'll Send You the Bill

Let's think about this scarce commodity over which we have only limited control. If you live to be 90 years young (I'm feeling generous and hope you are healthy) that is 32,850 days or 788,400 hours. Take off one third for sleep and you are left with 525,600 hours.

Only the hardest working begin as teenagers, let's say 16 years old, but not full time. Once again we'll average and say you work for someone else, either a company, institution, the government, or your other self, your own business, 35 hours per week times 49 weeks annually (sort of an average) for 74 years (that seems way too much but I am assuming you live to work.) Get ready: that is 126, 910 hours which we'll deduct from 525,600 and see 398,690 hours.

But every day one must take time to eat (2 hours daily?), conduct personal hygiene (assuming civilized culture and significant means) and bodily elimination (2 hours daily). Deduct those combined 4 hours per day from the original 32,850 days (this might be better as a spreadsheet) and you get 131,400 hours which must be taken from those precious 398, 690, leaving 267,290 hours. One more obligatory deduction for schooling, college, training of all types to the tune of six hours times five days times 30 weeks annually for 16 years (for batchelors degrees). If we pull that out (14,400 hours) of your net above you are left with 252,890 hours, or 15,806 days or 43.3 years. It still seems like a lot.

You haven't spent any time traveling in any way, or waited at the traffic lights, or for the next train or bus. You haven't spoken to anybody on the phone. You haven't courted or had sex. You haven't had enriching or engaging hobbies like watching television or going to NASCAR races. You have to take time to be sick, injured or hungover. I could go on and on. The point being, one might consider pondering the worth, per hour, of one's free time. It is limited and finite. And probably much much less than 43.3 years.